1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of surgical and endovascular interventional instruments and specially to Intraluminal implants for occlusion of vessels or aneurysms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Subarachnoid hemorrhage from intracranial aneurysm rupture remains a devastating disease. Endovascular occlusion of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms using Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) technology has recently gained worldwide acceptance as a less-invasive treatment alternative to standard microsurgical clipping. However, critical evaluation of the long-term anatomical results of aneurysms treated with metal coils shows three limitations. First, compaction and aneurysm recanalization can occur. This technical limitation is more often seen in small aneurysms with wide necks and in large or giant aneurysms. Second, tight packing of metal coils in large or giant aneurysms may cause increased mass effect on adjacent brain parenchyma and cranial nerves. Third, the standard platinum metal coil is relative biological inert. Recent reports of methods to favorably enhance the biological activity of metal coils highlight the increased interest in finding innovative solutions to overcome these present biological limitations of the conventional metal coil system.
Recent animal investigations and post-mortem human histopathologic studies have provided valuable information on the histopathological changes occurring in intracranial aneurysms in patients treated with metal coils. Both animal and human studies support the hypothesis that a sequential bio-cellular process occurs in the aneurysm leading to the development of organized connective tissue after metal coil placement and altered hemodynamics. It has been postulated that the histological changes observed in an aneurysm after metal coil occlusion follow the general pattern of wound healing in a vessel wall. In support of metal coil-induced favorable histopathological transformation, in the largest post-mortem study reported, some aneurysms packed with metal coils demonstrated reactive fibrosis in the body of the aneurysm and anatomic exclusion of the orifice within six weeks after treatment.
What is needed is some means whereby this biological response can be transformed into an earlier and more intense wound healing or scarring.
What is needed is a method to promote an inflammatory response and healing of the aneurysm with reduction of its mass effect.